


Time Travel is Stupid

by lilypond8



Category: Birth By Sleep, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Cannon nonsense, Friendship, Game: Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, Gen, I hate time travel, Kingdom Hearts III Spoilers, M/M, Romantic if you squint, Time Travel, and im sick of these old ass men who could have fixed everything if they just SPOKE to each other, cannon stilted dialouge, dont @ me nomura, not really - Freeform, so im fixing the plot in post
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-19 22:17:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18979447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilypond8/pseuds/lilypond8
Summary: On the day of the Mark of Mastery, one action sent the worlds spiraling into chaos. But then time travel was introduced into the story and ruined everything. Who's to say that it can't fix everything too.ORA bunch of kind of connected (mostly disconnected) scenes between the cast of birth by sleep, and the youthful versions of the master key blade wielders themselves.





	Time Travel is Stupid

“Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery.” Master Eraqus announced with sanguine anticipation. “Not one, but two of the keyblade’s chosen stand here before me as candidates.” Both Aqua and Terra smiled at their master’s acknowledgement. The two had trained their whole lives for this moment, and it showed in their confidence in wielding the blade. And Eraqus couldn’t be prouder.  “But this is neither a competition nor a battle for supremacy- not a test if wills, but a test of heart. Both of you may prevail, or neither.”   
  
“But I am sure our guest, Master Xehanort did not travel all this way to see our youngest prospects in years fall short of the mark.” He smiled at the man in question, who gave a small grin in return, before addressing his students once more. “I trust you are ready.”   
  
“Yes.” Terra and Aqua said in unison.   
  
The test began as Master Eraqus summoned the spheres of light. The bright massless shapes floated harmlessly around the two. It was not the test he, nor Xehanort faced in their youth, but the number of keyblade wielders was confined to this single room, and he worried for their safety. This test was merely a formality, the two had already shown their mastery over the key and all the obligations it carried.

Then, the lights were corrupted by darkness. Eraqus almost ended the test then and there, but Xehanort eyed him curiously. He dismissed the surprise of his students with a wave of his hand, “I’ll allow it.” All would be fine as long as that was the only surprise he’d face today. 

If only that were a case.   
  
A blue void of nebulous clouds materialized in the center of the room. Shapeless masses peeled off from it’s center, only to disintegrate in a show of sparks.   
  
“Stay back!” With a small hand motion, Eraqus summoned his keyblade and dismissed the light orbs- darkness and all, “The exam is over. All of you, leave at once!”    
  
The spinning vortex spat out a rather lively pile of limbs dressed in very familiar yet decidedly different clothing before dissolving into the air as suddenly as it appeared.   
  
“Would you get off me?!”   
  
“Your the one who’s on me! My whole arm is going numb…”   
  
“It’s not going to be the only thing that's numb when I’m done with you-”   
  
“ENOUGH! What is the meaning of this?” Eraqus’ command was forceful enough to silenced their young intruders, but further inspection only yielded more questions than answers.

  
++++++

  
The first thing the younger version of Eraqus does when he is confronted with both his and his best friend’s older selves and all the physics bending impossibilities that come with that discovery, is to laugh. It’s a loud, whooping sound that shocks the whole hall out of the stunned silence that had befallen them.

“Wha- What’s so funny? Don’t you realize how serious this is?!” Xehanort-  _ his _ Xehanort is the first to react, looking beyond pissed. It only makes him laugh harder.

“I- I told you that If- if you kept hunching over, you were gonna get stuck like that!” He’s wheezing now, one hand clutching his stomach, while the other points to the unmistakable older version of his friend. New scars and wrinkles, but that moody expression is unmistakable. “Your bald too! I guess all the brooding you do finally signed it right off.” 

His older self, alongside the other kids he can barely see out of the corners of his eyes gasp in shock, which just has him burst into another round of laughing. His Xehanort however, looks less than Amused. “Well i'm  _ sorry _ if we all can’t gracefully age into FEUDAL LORDS!”

“ENOUGH!” their banter is interrupted by the older and newly proclaimed feudal lord Eraqus, adopting a more serious tone then he’s ever been able to project in his life. “I will not have you interrupting my hall. Now tell me, who are you two?”

That gets them both to straighten up, though Eraqus does take a more relaxed pose, opting to lock his hands behind his head “Well, Im you. I think. Kind of. Maybe? Well, regardless, my name is Eraqus and this is my-,” -Xehanort elbows him  _ hard _ \- “my fellow student, Xehanort.” 

“Is this...some kind of joke?” The Older Xehanort asks, voice as old and withered as the rest of him. 

His Xehanort shrugs “Maybe, who knows? But if it is, I’m not laughing.”

“Please,” His older self, Eraqus says, calling for silence and looking like he's gained a few wrinkles since the beginning of this conversation  “Terra, Aqua, Ventus, you are all dismissed for the day. The exam will continue once this...issue has been resolved.” The three confused looking kids all look at each other, and then back to the older Eraqus, and then at him. He waves. Only the smallest one waves back as they all exit.

“Now that that is out of the way,” his older self continues with no humor in his voice “I would like to speak to you both in private.”   
+++++

Xehanort’s confrontation with his own mortality is a very strange one. Laying eyes on the boy with his name only reminded him of what he’d lost. Strong muscles gave to entirphy, as his bones become brittle, and bones like that can never see his plans to fruition. He felt old, and the loud child’s comments only inflame this sentiment. 

As he walks down the long, familiar halls of the castle, he can hear the not-at-all-subtle conversation going on between the two children who claim to be Eraqus and himself.

“I wonder what’s going on?” Eraqus’ voice is exactly like he remembers.

“Maybe they’re gonna kill us for making fun of them.” The boy who claims to be him whispers back sarcastically. “If they do, I hope they kill you first.”

“Wow, rude. I doubt that’s going to happen, and if they do, your dying first on principal.”

“Principal of wha-”

“Anyways,” the young boy interrupts his friend and Xehanort stifles a almost fond sigh. Eraqus had a bad habit of interrupted him when the conversation went anywhere that wasn’t in his favor. These children have him remembering things he would rather forget. “I wanted to know your theories on how we...dimension hopped.” The boy speaks animatedly, from he can see out of his peripherals anyways. “ Or possibly time traveled?”

“It can’t be time travel, that makes no sense.” Did he ever sound so sure of himself?

He stops short just as they reach the door to the inner sanctum, but the boys however do not. One of them collides into his back and sends a wave of pain up his spine, (another reminder of his age) but when he turns to reprimand the boy, he comes face to face with a kid wearing his best friend’s skin.

He looks exactly as Xehanort would remember him- were he a sentimental man. A youthful face that frames the same eyes he’s shied away from for so long. He even has the same freckles, even if they are somewhat obscured by the hands clutching at his nose. “Owww… sorry.”

“When your sorry...heh, that will be the day.” He muses, instinctively turning the corners of his mouth up slightly. 

“Just because I don’t apologize to  _ you _ doesn’t mean I can’t feel remorseful.” His smile is just like he remember too, bright and sorely missed. 

It only takes a moment to realise that all conversation had stopped and all eyes were on them. He watches the young version of his friend instantly crack under the pressure and start looking at the floor, which is almost humorous in his eyes. He can’t imagine the imagine the old-man at his side ever feeling shame, much less acting on it.

Xehanort clears his throat, “Eraqus, the door if you please.” His counterpart stares for a second too long, before opening the door and ushering everyone inside. It’s been a long time since he’s seen the Inner Sanctum. The round room seems smaller, now decorated solely by a the round table and chairs. The pairs split off, young and old sitting opposite themselves.

“So you two claim to be Xehanort and I.” Eraqus opens, cutting straight to the point.

“Well, it can’t be a simple coincidence,” Xehanort's own younger self speaks up.  “Our names aren’t exactly common, and even if they were, you cannot discount the fact that we look eerily similar.” He sends a pointed look to the young Eraqus, before returning his gaze.

“This could be a trap. How do we know you two aren’t manifestations of the darkness, here to infiltrate and corrupt the students.” Xehanort finds himself explaining with a frown.

“Wow,” The younger Eraqus sighs, giving the boy to his right a look. “I thought you would have grown out of the paranoia by now.” 

“It’s not my fault you’ve never taken anything seriously in your life.” His equally young self retaliates.

“Please.” The Eraqus at his side says, somehow making it sound less like a request and more like a prayer. When the boys pause he continues, “Master Xehanort’s concerns are sound. Recently, concerns have been raised regarding the darkness that resides in people’s hearts. It is only natural that we exercise caution.”

“But there is no way to prove a negative...” The young looking Eraqus mumbles to himself, “...and even If we could, there’s no way to explain how we even got here. Unless we traveled through time?”

“I already told you- It’s not possible,” His younger doppelganger interjections.

It’s quite funny, hearing that argument come from his own lips. He can't help but ask, “And what makes you so sure?” 

His other self smiles back, as if he held all the cards. “Simple, the fact that I’m talking to you right now is proof of it.” What short sighted reasoning, Xehanort has to stop himself from chuckling at the boy’s continued explanation, “If I this is a product of time travel, and I am to grow into you, wouldn’t our meeting right now create a paradox?” 

Eraqus- both of them- nod in unison, and he notes just how similar their mannerisms are. The younger Eraqus is more obvious, audibly tapping his nails to the tabletop, while his friend is far more subdued, pressing the pads of his fingers down in the same pattern. Something easily missable, but not to him. They’ve spent far too much time in each other’s presence for him not to pick up on those things.

“I can’t argue with your logic, Xehanort.” Hearing  _ his _ Eraqus, address the welp with his name, is agitating, although he’s not sure why. He lets the feeling pass as the man at his side continues, “However, even if that is the case, then what other explanation could there be for this anomalie? Can you explain to us how you got here?”

His younger self touches a hand to his chin in thought, “Well…we were playing chess as usual… then I won and Eraqus cheated-” 

“I did not cheat!” The young man next to him squeaks indignantly,” It’s not my fault you don’t know the rules.”

“Don't know the rules-? What rule says you get to just  _ magic _ all your pieces back?!”

“The same rule that says I have to play a rematch with you everytime you lose.”

“Says the one who’s never won a fair game in his sorry lif-” 

Their spat is immediately relegated to background noise as Eraqus-  _ his _ Eraqus, begins to laugh. The corners of his eyes begin to crinkle, as his lips turn up into a smile and he makes a sound that is so nostalgic to him that he is has to blink. Then that look is fixed upon him and he’s at a loss for words as well. “Is it so absurd that I remember this? I remember our petty arguments over silly games and winning and losing.”

It takes him a moment, but he can’t help but mirror the smile on his old friend’s face. “Well, you were never very good at strategizing.”

+++++

Eraqus watches as his friend paces around the room they've been assigned. He hasn’t stilled at all since they were dismissed from that round room. His older self had said he sensed no darkness within them and that they would be allowed to stay until they find their way back. They were then lead to this shoe box of a room which is where they find themselves now, with  Eraqus sprawled out on his cot, watching the fumes come out of Xehanort’s ears as he wears holes in his shoes.

It's so strange, meeting his other self. Eraqus thinks back to the man that answers to his name. He’s very...serious. Not that he himself can't be serious (no matter how Xehanort would protest that thought), but this man was everything he ever wanted to be. A master of the keyblade, passing that knowledge on to other students of light. So why was he so...uptight? It was almost a relief to see his older self laughing at the end of their meeting, just to know that he still could.

“How can you be so calm?!” Xehanort all but yells, interrupting his thoughts,.

After some thought, Eraqus decides to answer that question with a question, “How can you not be? Isn’t this what you wanted? To see other worlds?”

Xehanort glowers at the words, but they both know he’s right. He’s spent too many nights looking up at the stars with Xehanort, and listening to his pondering of what worlds were just out of his reach. “I do want to see other worlds, but on my own terms. What if we’re destroying the continuity of this time line by being here? What if time and space starts collapsing in on itself? What if we can’t stop it?” 

“Ehh, I'm not worried,” Eraqus yawns, being a firm believer in not worrying about things that have yet to happen. “As long as we’re together, I know we’ll be alright.” 

He watches Xehanort’s face go blank, and then color rush to his face, before he asks, “How can you say stuff like that with a straight face?”

“What? It’s true.” He says, sitting up before adding, “You’d make a excellent human shield.”

A pillow sails across the room, smacking him in the face, and let's face it- he probably deserved that (even if it’s true).

+++++

Ventus is not a troublemaker. He is not a busybody. He prefers the term...creative. Which is why he is sneaking around the castle grounds. Because creative problems are in need of creative solutions. And those creative solutions may entail, scaling the castle walls in the middle of the night. 

He’s hugging the wall, feet planted as firmly as can be on the smallest outcropping of his window sill. If he planned this right- Which he knows he did- there should be a window somewhere around the wing Master Eraqus told him not to go. Then promptly surrounded with a magical barrier. Obviously, that was a challenge, one he was more than willing to accept. He just wished It were less of a vertical challenge.

He took breath, and focused all his energy on the point just to his right, where the window sill dropped off into the darkness of night below. There was a flash of green light that petered out slowly, dimly glowing as the air began to move. The winds picked up, sweeping up everything it could, leaves and branches, whipping his hair into even more of a mess than it usually was. He took a deep breath- it was now or never. He closed his eyes, and lept.

Two things happened in a matter of seconds. Firstly, the spell worked just as he’d hoped and when Ventus opened his eyes, he was successfully launched into the velvet blanket of night. The clouds were completely ash colored, he only knew they existed when they passed slowly in front of the moon. It was a beautiful sight, that was only dampened by his second (and probably more important) revelation that he had been launched too high. Way too high. Huh, he never noticed how pointy the roof decor was before he was poised to be skewered by them. He almost cried out, but the air was ripped from his lungs as the rooftop of his beloved home carrened towards him at speeds he hadn't thought possibles. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the inevitable splat. _ They’ll have to scrape me off the roof _ . What a way to go.

He didn’t know how “going splat” would feel. In that split second, if he had to guess had to guess: it would probably be one intensely painful second. What he actually felt was decidedly not that, instead feeling a excruciating pain up his left arm as it was torn from its socket. “Gotcha-!” Ventus opened his eyes to see that boy, the one from the exam who waved at him. He had Ventus’ left arm in a vice grip, leaning halfway out the window. “I thought you were stronger than that!”

“You know...I could just let you both fall, If your going to complain-!” Says a annoyed sounding voice, currently unseen, in between grunts Ventus was agonizingly slowly hauled up.

“Please...help...” Ventus pleads through clenched teeth. Every second he hangs there is another second at which he is physically torn apart by his own weight. He feels every muscle- every fiber of his being desperately fighting to hold itself together. And the worst part is that whenever he closes his eyes, it feels horribly  _ familiar _ . 

Despite that extensticial crisis the boys are eventually successful in their rescue, tumbling into the sparse room and onto the floor. Ven takes a second to breath, and then another assess his arm. He can still move his fingers, but his shoulder won't move at all. And judging by the pain, he won’t be able to move it for a long time. “Oww…” he says, rubbing the offending joint.

“If we hadn’t caught you, you would have a lot more to complain about,” The white haired boy says between labored breaths, “Or a lot less, depending on how you think about it.” Ven can’t help but pale at the thought, remembering just how quickly the ground rushed to meet him. The black haired boy pinches his’ friend’s arm, making the other yelp in surprise. “What was that for?!”

“Stop it, your scaring him.” The black haired boy then turns his attention on ven, offering a small, yet kind of familiar smile. “Are you hurt?” Ven nods slowly. “Mind if I take a look? I know I don’t look it, but I’m pretty good with magic.” At this point, Ven has had his fill of magic, but he also knows that he can’t keep this injury hidden for very long anyways. He reluctantly allows the boy to roll up his sleeve and look at his shoulder, and from he can see, it doesn’t look pretty. 

The white haired boy whistles, “That looks...bad.”

“No one asked for your opinion.” His friend responds, curtly, before focusing the magic around them into a simple cure spell. It relieves the pain somewhat, but it’s not nearly strong enough to do anything beyond easing the bruise. “Sorry, I can't do more than that until it gets set properly.”  His healer speaks up again with a smile. “Im-”

“Your Eraqus,” Ven says, then looks over to the moody kid, “and your Xehanort from the past, right?”

The both look at him, then each other, then back at him.

“No.”

“Yes.”

The (probable) young version Xehanort glares daggers at (maybe) Eraqus, prompting the boy to adopt that incredulous look that his master usually reserves for the times when Ven had done something  _ really _ bad. It was nearly impossible to look at the kid and not think of his master.

“Well they never told us  _ not _ to tell people.” Eraqus hissed loudly.

“But they also didn’t give us permission to just tell anyone!” Xehanort responds equally as loud. Ventus didn’t know Master Xehanort that well, but this is not the Eraqus he was expecting at all. He expected someone more aloof and unflappable like the stoic master he knew. Not...whatever this is.

“I never thought you’d be such a tattle-tale.” His young looking master snickers from behind his sleeve.

“It’s not being a tattle-tale if I don’t trust the first person who literally  _ fell _ from the sky!”

“No no, I came here to meet you guys.” Ventus decides to cut in before their scuffle becomes a full blown argument.

That gets them both to turn and give him this wide eyed look. “What?”

“Well, I mean, when I first saw you guys just kind of...appear? In the hall of masters I mean. I thought that maybe...I don’t know- maybe you guys might need some help?” Great, of course now is the time when Ventus starts tripping over his words.

He takes a deep breath, and starts over. “When I first arrived at the land of departure, I was like a zombie. I could barely speak, much less function. It was only with the help of Terra and Aqua that I was ever able to break out of that trance. I just- I know what It’s like to be thrown into a new place, and I wanted talk to you guys.”

“So you broke your collarbone...to keep us company?”

Ventus can’t stop himself from pouting, “Well, when you say it that way it almost sounds stupid.” 

“Almost?”

++++++

Aqua sat on the grass, watching the green hills roll with the wind. The training posts spin in time with the wind, and the golden targets jingle and shine in the sunlight. It was one of those rare peaceful moments she wasn’t quite used too, but since the Mark of Mastery was postponed, she’d had a lot of time to herself recently. Her eyes were pinned on the horizon, scanning but not really  _ looking _ . So consumed by the vista that she almost misses the voice intruding on her artificial peace.

“Something on your mind?” 

“Oh,” She’s startled as the young face of her master comes into view. “Eraqus, what are you doing here?”

He flops down besides her, and smiles “Would you believe that Ventus sent me?”

“No.”

“Fine,” He leans back. “Terra did.”

Aqua sighs, “That’s even less believable.”

“Well, one is the truth, and the other, a lie.” This Eraqus doesn’t seem fazed at all by her “pressing the issue” and continues unflapped.  “You can pick which one is which, but I’m pretty sure that they both would send someone to check up on you.”

Another sigh escapes Aqua’s lips, but it’s more relieved than exasperated like before. She knows her friends love her, but it’s nice to be reminded of that every once in a while. “Thanks, I needed that.”

“Your welcome,” The boy sighs, resting his head in the grass and closing his eyes. 

He looks so...relaxed. A far cry from the master she’s known. Her master was a kind but serious man. Every move he made was deliberate in a almost humorless way. He was a thoughtful, if severe man, so she just couldn’t see how this kid- the kid who ribbs his best friend constantly and makes bad jokes just to cheer strangers up- could ever grow up to be her master.

“Your suspicious of me.” He says, cracking a eye open to look in her direction.

She pauses, embarrassed being caught staring, but also not denying it. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok, I thought the same thing.” He’s closed his eyes again, and yawns this time. “Xehanort was easy to spot. He’s always been grumpy, always pushing me away. And I always knew he’d never outgrow his  _ wear black all the time _ phase.” He laughs, but rips up a hand full of grass, letting it go in the wind. “But that tall, serious guy? There’s no way that’s me.”

Aqua is silent for a moment, before shrugging, “Well we agree on that, at the very least.” The pause that follows hangs thick in the air, but is neither awkward or oppressive. It just exists between them.

“I probably have more in common with you than him.” The young boy says, breaking their carefully crafted calm. 

“Hm?” She shifts onto her elbow to look her young master. The way he’s sprawled out in the sun makes her think he’s more like a cat than herself, but she holds her tongue in hopes that he’ll elaborate.

“Well, for one,” He opens both his eyes this time, looking at her with that same kind smile her master had, “We both have friends that tend to...keep us at arm’s length.”

Aqua sits up at that, “How...did you?”

“I did say that I spoke with one of your friends, right?” Again with that smile. It was plastered to his face like no other expression would fit. “Besides, I really can’t see Terra talking to me considering the fact that I- we...kinda ruined the mark of mastery test.” He even has the decency to look bashful for a moment, “Sorry about that by the way.”  

Aqua lets the words wash over her. “It’s fine.” She says eventually. The conversation lulls a bit after that, yielding to the sound of a summer’s breeze.

Eraqus breaks the silence again, slipping once more into that childish persona. It’s almost a relief, sensarity doesn’t look quite as nice on him. “I bet he’s sulking right now...” Aqua quirk’s a eyebrow his way, a silent question. “Xehanort usually sulks when things don’t go his way. He can call it “meditation” or “training” all he wants, but I know he’s just mad.”

Aqua suddenly and vividly recalls being brushed off by her own version of tall dark and brooding, and quickly nods her head in agreement. 

“Your best friend is as stubborn as an ox too?” The dark haired boy asks, sitting up to look her in the eye.

Aqua wasn’t the the type talk about herself. She didn’t need to, being among the people she known almost all her life. But being in the presence of a stranger made her loosen up a bit. Made her feel like she could relax, if only for a little while. So she makes eye contact the strange boy and goes, “Try that, but times two.”

“Come on, Ventus isn’t that bad!” Eraqus jumps to Ven’s defence,” He just...dislocated his shoulder to do the one thing he was expressly told not to do…” 

Aqua nods knowingly, already caught up on the shenanigans from before. Ventus always meant well, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be viciously stubborn in his own way. And that wasn’t even mentioning Terra. Aqua closes her eyes and wills the frustration that up tended to flair up whenever she thought of her peer away. “Terra’s worse. Once he didn’t talk to me for a whole week because I took to water magic faster than he did.”

Eraqus laughs, “Oh man...wow. How’d you smooth that one over? Did you remind him that your name is  _ Aqua _ ?”

For once, she laughs too, light and airy but her smile is real. “Haha, no. I just helped him with his technique. I had him casting waterra in no time flat!” She smiles proudly, remembering just how easily he took to it once he’d  _ let  _ her try to help him. And just how much convincing it took to get him there. 

“He’s always trying to do everything by himself,” She says after a beat.”Can’t he see that he doesn’t have too?”

Eraqus snorts, “When you solve that puzzle, let me know.”

+++++++

“You wanted to see me?” Eraqus looks up to see the youthful version of his friend standing awkwardly in the doorway. He’s holding his arm with his other hand, eyes flitting nervously around the room. 

Eraqus offers the youth a smile. “I thought you might humor an old fool in a game of chess.” 

Xehanort nods and takes the seat across from him. Setting the pieces brings back old memories, and while they sit at a actual table today, the light streaming from the windows makes the recollection tangible.

They play for a long while in silence and Eraqus has a hard time keeping up. He may have memories of playing the game but he’s still a bit rusty. His companion is also apparently having a difficult time, as he says after finally moving a pawn, “So you’ve gotten better over the years…”

“All thanks to your constant chides.” Conversation with Xehanort has always been like breathing to him, Eraqus notes as he moves a piece to capture the teen’s pawn. Xehanort goes silent and Eraqus assumes he’s preoccupied with strategizing. Until he looks up to see the other staring directly at him.

“We had a fight, didn’t we.”

He lets silence swallow those words, and moves a pawn. “What makes you so sure?”

The boy looks up at him once more, ignoring the board. “I...Earlier when you spoke of the students here, you said “my” pupils, not ours. And I just always assumed- I thought-” He lets the words die in his throat instead shifting his intense focus to the board, color creeping onto his face, “Just forget it. It’s stupid.”

Eraqus is taken back to say the least, wide eyes taking in the sight of this suddenly shy boy. The thought of  _ his _ Xehanort being straightforward and open with him in any timeline is so preposterous that he can’t help but laugh. He tries to cover it with a long sleeve, but a chuckle slips out.

The look of mortification on Xehanort’s face is enough to coax a apology from the man. “I apologize I just… I am not sure that “fight” is the right word to describe our predicament.” He moves one of his pieces across the board. “I’m sure you’ve noticed by now, but this place is a far cry from the white spires of our home.”

He hasn’t thought of Scala ad Caelum in a very long time. The memories that surface are fuzzy at their edges, though he can still remember that endless blue sky, a window, and a white chess piece. He picks another one up, examining the differences between what he remembers, and what’s actually there. This chess set is different from the one they had, the pieces less exquisite and rounder at their edges. Most all of his replicas have that in common it seems.

“You may have gotten better over the years, but I guess cheating is in your blood.” Xehanort lets a small smile grace his features as he gently takes the piece from his withered hands, “It’s not your turn.”

“I suppose it’s not,” Eraqus mirrors his smile. “When our world fell to darkness, I thought I’d never seen you again.” That memory is hazy. Disconnected, like he was watching it happen to someone else instead of falling through the darkness first hand. “And in a sense, I suppose I was correct.”

Xehanort’s brows furrow and Eraqus can almost see the wheels turning behind his eyes. Eraqus is expecting a avalanche of inquiries, but all the boy says is, “It must have been lonely.”

“I...yes. I suppose it was.”

He lets the silence stretch on after that, allowing the soft sound of moving chess pieces fill the void. The game ends in a tie, with no more moves available, but no clear winner either. 

“Before you go, I have a favor to ask of you.” Eraqus says, stopping the boy in his tracks.

Xehanort turns to face him. “Ask? Since when do  _ you ask me _ for anything?” It’s said jokingly, and does it’s job of coaxing a smile out of the keyblade master, albeit a apologetic one.

He schools his features. “I sense darkness in you, Xehanort.” He raises a hand, begging pause of his young friend. Xehanort’s shocked expression gives way to what looks like resignation. Eraqus continues, “Every heart holds darkness, including mine. And yet you are able to control that aspect of your life. And I wish for you to help guide my apprentice, Terra. The darkness in his heart is great, and I fear that all my attempts to reach him have failed.”

The boy pulls at a lock of white hair. “You want me to help him? I don’t know...he seems just as stubborn as you. If not more so.”

Eraqus nods. “If you would humor an old man.”

Xehanort scoffs and turns on his heel, making his way out. He pauses at the door, throwing his hands up in annoyance. “Fine, I’ll try. I make no promises, but I’ll try.” 

“Thank you, my friend.” Eraqus allows himself a small smile and quietly begins packing the game away, expecting the young man to leave. 

“Don’t act so surprised, ”Xehanort says with his back to Eraqus. “I couldn’t say no to you if I tried, and you know that.” 

++++   
Terra was training. It was the thing he’d spent most of his life doing, practicing the swing of his sword, anchoring his weight to stand against any blow, all in pursuit of the power he needs to protect what’s important. He shifts his posture from a defensive curl, to a more offensive one, widening his stance and readying his blade to strike-   
  
“Fight me.” The words come from just out of view and startle the brunette.   
  
“What?” Terra says, unable to hide his shock as the younger version of the keyblade steps into his line of sight. “Master Xeha-”   
  
“Please,” The silver haired boy dismisses the title with a wave of his hand, “I’m no master- at least, not yet anyways.” He summons a keyblade, simple and grey with a black handle. ”So how bout it? Let’s fight.”   
  
Terra frowns, dismissing his blade. “You said it yourself- your no master. If we spar, it would be all too one-sided.” Terra knew he was being arrogance at best and snide at worst, but he couldn’t help it. He had spent his entire life preparing for the day he would become a master keyblade wielder. And when the cusp of that coveted title was just within reach, these two strange kids fall right through his plans. So forgive him if he’s a little abrasive.

“Fine, if your so sure you’ll lose.” He can feel a vein on his forehead pop as he watches this new Xehanort’s slow retreat. 

“Wait,” he sighs, knowingly rising to the bait. Terra summons his own blade “Don’t hold back.”   
  
Xehanort smirks, before rushing at him. The first thing Terra has time to think is that the boy is fast. Terra can only hold his keyblade up to block before their blades clash in a shower of sparks. He shoves the boy away, only to roll out of the way of a explosive firaga spell. 

He stays on the defensive for a while, dodging attack after attack. His attacks slide glance off the white haired boy and he is easily knocked to the ground.

Xehanort approaches and offers a hand. Maybe it’s the fact that he was just knocked on his ass, but Terra slaps his hand away. “I knew it.” the boy mumbles under his breath, and Terra’s vision bleeds red.   
  
“Knew what.” Terra spits with a venom.   
  
“I knew from the moment I saw you that you weren’t going to pass the Mark of Mastery.”   
  
The rage he feels in that moment feeds off all the other disappointments in his life. The disappointment of the exam ending prematurely, the need to prove himself a protector, and the frustration of training almost all his life and having some kid swoop in acting all high and mighty. It all comes rushing to a head in this single moment, as Terra lunges at the boy, key-blade poised to strike. “YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!” Young Xehanort doesn’t dodge like before, instead opting to hold his blade horizontal and dig in his heels. Every strike of Terra’s blade threatens to bring the teen to his knees, and with his fifth strike he does, knocking the silvery blade aside, and pointing his own at the other teen’s neck. “You don’t know anything about me.”   
  
“I know you because I  _ was _ you.” Xehanort’s got that same look on his face, the day the mastery exam was postponed, pensive, angry and sad, all mirrored on younger features. “I know what it’s like to want to be stronger, to protect the ones you care about, and I know what it’s like to fail the exam in pursuit of that strength,” Terra’s breath hitches in his throat, but the boy continues undeterred. “And I will tell you what I’d wish I’d known then. You don’t have to go looking for strength to protect what’s most important. That strength will come to you as long as the resolve is there,” Xehanort finally looks him in the eye, “and it looks like you have that in spades.”   
  
Terra’s blade is dismissed in a flash of light, “Xehanort...I-“   
  
“Terra! Xehanort!” Aqua’s voice cleaves through the tension, as she, Ventus and a young Eraqus race across the field in their direction. “What is going on here?”   
  
“Yea,” Eraqus says, concern lacing his voice, “What did you do Xehanort?!”   
  
“What do you mean me?! How do you know it’s my fault!” Xehanort sputters indignantly as Terra offers him a hand. He gives the taller boy a once over, before taking his hand and getting hauled to his feet easily.   
  
“I know it’s your fault because all you do is go around picking fights.” Eraqus says, a sly smile playing across his face.   
  
“It wasn’t a fight. We were just sparring.” Terra says, fighting a smile as well when Xehanort lets out a small sigh of relief.   
  
“Oh,” Ventus mumbles looking rather shy, “Sorry. I saw you guys fighting out here and I just kinda panicked and went to get help. I probably should have asked what was going on first.”   
  
“Yea, you really should have.” Xehanort says, before a elbowing from Eraqus persuades him to amend it, “But that’s fine. Better safe than sorry and all that.”   
  
Ven beams at the praise, then asks “So...who won anyways?”

++++++++

“Whatever your planning, it’s not going to work.”

Xehanort turns to see the youthful version of Eraqus, standing in the alcove just inside the doorway. He leaning against the door frame, eyes closed in thought. “And what makes you think that I have anything in store.”

He opens one eye, but his arms remain crossed. “I know you, Xehanort. I can practically see the wheels turning in that head of yours.” It’s said with a smile. 

“And I know you, Eraqus.” It’s almost funny how easy it is to recall his history with Eraqus in the presence of his younger counterpart. Those emotions have long since faded but the information is still fresh in his mind. “Tell me, how many people did you scare with your talk of machinations and conspiracy.”

He can’t help but chuckle at the boy’s wide-eyed expression as his face gets redder and sputtering gets worst. “I- well- look that only happened once, I apologized- he said it was ok it’s fine- but-but that’s not the point here!” Eraqus kicks off the wall and strides up to Xehanort with purpose. “I know that your planning something, and I know it won’t work.”

The musings of a child. A child bearing the face of his friend long lost. Xehanort looks down at him with nothing but a morbid curiosity. “What if I told you that you were right.”

“What-?”

He reaches out to take Eraqus by the elbow, and the boy doesn’t resist. 

And when he doesn’t resist, Xehanort shows him. Shows him the darkness festering just under the surface of every world. Shines a light upon the void threatening to consume them all. And finally, he shows the boy the barren wastelands of the keyblade graveyard. They appear at the edge of a cannon, permanently smeared an angry red, as the weapons of the fallen barely crest its edges.“I’ve seen the future, and in each and every one, I’ve  _ lost _ . I've failed and I’ve hurt others in ways that can’t possibly be atoned for. So why do you think I would continue this charade?”

“It’s because I am the only one who knows of what is to come. And I alone am the only one who can stop it.” Xehanort says. It’s a practiced line, rehearsed on those long, sleepless nights when he has to face the reality of his actions. If he fails, all of this...all of the pain and suffering he’s caused will have been for nothing. And with these old, weary bones, he doesn’t think he’d be able to live with it.

Then, Eraqus places a hand over his, the one anchoring them together, and gives a gentle smile. “You may have seen the future, but you’ve also experienced the past, Xehanort.” And for a moment, he sees his friend, just as weathered by time as he. “I told you I’d be there for you. You don’t have to do everything all on your own.”

The vision ends, and boy takes a step back, watching Xehanort carefully. “I suppose...talking with Master Eraqus could prove useful.” He concedes.

“You should. If I know myself- and I’m pretty sure I do, he’ll want to talk with you too.” The young Eraqus takes a seat on the steps, leaning into a easygoing pose. “You always did think you knew better than everyone.”

Xehanort laughs at the comment, take a seat next to his young friend, but his mind drifts back to Eraqus-  _ his _ Eraqus. “It has been a very long time since he and I have spoken, and I can’t help but feel...apprehensive at the thought.”

“You? Nervous?!” Eraqus places a hand on his heart and the other on his forehead in faux-pain. When that doesn’t get a laugh, he sits up and give him a look, “Since when have you ever gotten nervous around me?”

Xehanort laughs at this, spurred on by memories that may not have even happened yet in their time. “I can think of a few moments.”

He expects a laugh, or maybe a demanding inquiry, but the young version of Eraqus just smiles, “That’s good then. Least the feeling’s mutual.”

++++++++++

He stood in front of the door, pacing. This could be a huge mistake. It probably was a huge mistake. Talking to Eraqus had been easy, when it had been apart of  _ the plan _ . A plan that he had meticulously plotted out every detail, planned for every contingency- including his own downfall. He’d just never accounted for… whatever  _ this _ was. The whole situation was so absurd that whenever he tried to wrap his mind around the whole scenario, his feet would start to drag.

And that isn't even mentioning he conversation with the younger Eraqus. Could he really trust the child? He could sense no darkness within the child, and yet for the boy to ask him with such a impossible task could only be proof of- of the Darkness! Yes! Of the darkness within his heart. Surely that’s sufficient reasoning to get out of this foolish task.

_ “...he’ll want to talk with you too.”  _

The child’s words come back, rooting him to the floor. It’s not true. It  _ cannot _ be true. And even if was somehow possible for Eraqus- for anyone to forgive his absence, his actions are unforgivable.

Sometimes he thinks back on all the things he’s had to do, all the lives he ruined. The child he’d neatly sifted in two. The girl violently separated from all she knows, lost in night. The boy endlessly struggling against chains enveloping his heart, chains he himself created. 

The guilt of sins yet committed is crushing him. Makes him want to sink Into the darkness once more and pretend that he’s never stepped foot in this wretched castle.

Yet before he can, Eraqus opens the door. He looks tired, dark half moons dragging the corners of his eyes down, freckles faded and wrinkles more prominent in this light. He looks the way Xehanort feels: old and exhausted. 

“Come in, old friend.” He opens the door, but Xehanort is frozen in place, waiting for the moment the invitation is rescinded and all the good faith melts way to reveal the disgust just under the surface. But that doesn’t happen, not at all. In fact, his friend looks more impatient than anything else. The man’s expression doesn’t change from it’s soft smile and welcoming eyes, but his hands on the doorway continue to drum the same pattern into the intricately carved wood.

It makes Xehanort feel anxious, like he’s a caged animal and this is the one kindness he’ll receive before being lead to slaughter. And he hates it. Hates the way this man- virtually stranger still inexplicably trusts him just like that. Despises the feeling creeping its way into his chest. So he mirrors Eraqus’ smile, forcing the corners of his eyes to crinkle and nods at the man before entering the room.

The room itself is surprisingly bare. Aside from the curtains framing the window to the far left, it is void of anything that would even suggest that someone lived there. “I see your no longer the collector you once were…” 

He pivots and watches as Eraqus turns his back to him to close the door. In that moment Xehanort remembers someone else’s back to him, and remembers watching their vistage splinter into a million glass pieces, all by his sword. Eraqus does not shatter however, instead turning to him with a sad smile. “ Ah...I suppose so. It’s been quite a long time since I’ve felt the need to hold onto anything.”

Seashells. Eraqus used to collect seashells and glass shards with edges rounded by the endless sea below. And if Xehanort were to close his eyes, a room filled with handmade charms and colorful paper weights. His eyes stay fixed on the door behind Eraqus, “So it seems…” 

“It has been so long, my friend.” Eraqus fills the awkward silence with trivial observations. “Tell me, whatever happened to you? When our world fell I thought you-”

“Died? Succumbed to the darkness? Or maybe just became lost in the world of light?” He cannot help the scathing words that fall from his lips. “Did you even  _ look? _ ” 

Every ounce of satisfaction derived from those words dies the instant he sees that smile drop from his face, replaced with a hurt confusion he knew all too well. “I did, actually. I searched through the fragmented remains of worlds just like ours- worlds claimed by darkness and ruin. And I also looked in the realm of light, in the hopes that maybe you escaped just as I had.” 

The voice he uses now is not the one of false familiarity that wormed its way into his skull. No, the infliction in Eraqus’ words is now sterile and cutting, like a knife never used until now. “And then, all of a sudden, after years of being missing- being lost to me, you stroll back into my life like you’d never left.”

“I-“ He  _ what. _ What could he possibly say when it’s all true. Even their first meeting had ended as quickly as it began because he was- 

“And you brought a child to be brought under my tutelage. And- I love Ventus. I love him with all my heart, but you could have stayed as well!” Xehanort shrinks back, watching wide eyed as his childhood friend reverts back to the child he once knew. Wild, animated, and angry. “I carved a life out here. I searched, and searched and when I couldn’t find you, I made a life for myself here! But never, ever think that you weren’t welcome!”

Eraqus is panting now, red faced and glaring daggers in spite of his previous words. Time travel has corroded Xehanort's mind. He’s seen the future, watch the worlds crumble under their own light, or get consumed by the darkness that is within every heart, and he’s made it his mission to prevent that from happening. Everything he has done, and all the things he has yet to do converge and the guilt is  _ oppressive. _ He staggers and Eraqus is at his side in a moment, hand at his elbow, and anger melted into a look of concern, and he realizes that of all the contingencies he’s planned for and all the machinations he’s created- in none of then has he ever asked Eraqus for help.

“Are you alright?” Eraqus’ voice brings his attention back to the present and Xehanort feels guilty.

“I’m fine. I’m old and tired,” He smiles, “But I’m fine. Just thinking.” Eraqus eye’s him carefully before helping him to sit down. The mattress gives to Xehanort’s weight and he can’t help but sigh. “Here, take it.” He hands it to Eraqus, avoiding all eye contact with the other man. “No matter where I go I can never seem to escape your presence.” 

Eraqus turns the shell over in his hands, admiring the way the light plays off its iridescent coating. He still looks angry, furious even. But that frantic rage seems to be smothered for the moment. Eraqus catches him staring but he refuses to let his gaze drop, worried that he’ll disappear just as their home did.

“I believe there is much to talk about.” Eraqus says after a moment, “If you are willing.”

Xehanort nods. And if he notices the way Eraqus looks at the shell, or holds his elbow a little tighter, he doesn’t say.

++++++++++

“Today you will be examined for the Mark of Mastery.” Master Eraqus announces once again to a largely empty chamber. Except it’s not so empty anymore. Their two visitors sit quietly on the sidelines, sitting alongside Ventus. They whisper loudly and pester one another, but in a way, it almost feels like he’s back home, watching his fellow squires become masters again.

“Not one, but two of the keyblade’s chosen stand here before me as candidates.” Both Aqua and Terra smiled at that, before their attention is wrenched to the side as Ventus and his younger-self jeer and holler- much to a younger Xehanort’s chagrin. Eraqus almost asks them all to leave, until the Xehanort at his side lets out a quiet chuckle. It comes as a shock to Eraqus, but his old friend just smiles at him and says, “I remember you cheering much louder than that.” 

“Yes. Well-” He clears his throat and turns his attention back to Aqua and Terra. “This is neither a competition nor a battle for supremacy- not a test if wills, but a test of heart. Both of you may prevail, or neither.” He watches the twin smiles grow across his two pupils faces. “I trust you are ready?”

“Yes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Eraqus: Bro I had a dream we fucked!  
> Xehanort: Bro its just a dream.  
> Eraqus: ha, gay I wouldn't fuck you...  
> Xehanort: You wouldn't?  
> Eraqus: I mean unless you wan't too...
> 
> You think this is a joke but if this conversation happened like 99% of the people who die in this series would still be ok and we wouldn't have needed to buy 200 game consoles to enjoy a goofy plot.


End file.
